A two-year old girl was brought to us with a paediatrician diagnosed case of enlarged adenoids. The child would snore very loudly and had difficulties while sleeping. She would wake up in the night several times due to this. She took nasal spray, but that had minimal effect and doctors had suggested surgery. Her mother wanted to try homeopathy rather than opt for surgery.
Case history
The child was brought to us by the mother and her uncle. The child was very cranky when she was brought into the doctor’s office. The uncle had to take her outside in the waiting room. She played there on her own, however, she started howling and crying when she saw new patients coming in.
This itself narrows down a lot of remedies for a homeopath.
D: What is bothering her?
P: She has complaints of cough/cold since she was born. This aggravates with yoghurt. Also, slightest changes in weather can aggravate her cold.
D: Describe her nature?
P: She is a playful and smart child. She learns quickly and has a sharp memory.
Of course this was odd for us to believe from the first impression she made with us, so we asked about that.
D: How come she is crying so much?
P: She will not go with any stranger. She is only comfortable with her uncle and close family. She doesn’t like people approaching her, touching her cheek or wanting to pick her up. If you leave her on her own she is comfortable and will play. She will slowly come to you.
This is her sensitivity. If she is not bothered, looked at she is comfortable.
D: What is she sensitive to?
P: She does a lot of drama. She feigns crying to seek attention. If I scold her, she will pretend to cry.
D: Is she an affectionate child?
P: Yes, she is very affectionate. She loves little babies and her cousins.
Why was the above question important? There were a few remedies that needed to be distinguished. E.g. a Platina child will also not need to be touched or caressed.
The child was brought in by her uncle. She never left her uncle’s arm. As soon as we tried to talk to her, she looked away and frowned. But when her uncle or mother spoke to her they could make her laugh. We took the risk of examining her and she started howling and shrieking such that the entire clinic staff and patients were startled.
We got her some toys to play with and crayons to sketch with. She played with one toy and then threw it away. She was happy with colours momentarily but soon ran to the waiting area.
There was no significant history of the mother during pregnancy.
Physical generals:
Desire: Spicy and sour fruits like orange, grapes etc.
Aversion: banana & curd
Thermal: chilly
Thirst: thirsty
Analysis:
The patient is highly irritable, peevish and ill humoured. She doesn’t want to be touched or looked at. She can’t bear anyone near her. She is worse from seeing strangers.
Most of us will come to remedies like Chamomilla, Cina, Tarantula etc. However, the patient is affectionate and very sensitive. The patient is loving to her family and to babies. She will return affection from people she likes and is not uncivilized or fretting all the time. This rules out Chamomilla.
Also, the type of crying is howling and shrieking. She feigns sickness, cries to seek attention or get what she wants. However, this is not the sly feature. There were however, no animal issues of me versus you in the case. This ruled out Tarantula, Lach and similar remedies.
As mentioned in Soul of Remedies, by Dr. Sankaran, the main feeling of Cina is that they are not getting enough attention from their parents (just like Chamomilla). Both react by loud shrieking and being demanding. However, Chamomilla is not quieted unless carried, whereas Cina reacts with irritability and temper tantrums such as throwing things, capriciousness and pushing away her parents. I has “touched aversion to being”, ‘’caressed aversion to being’’. It’s as if to say “Where were you when I needed you?”
Also, Cina belongs to the group of injury remedies in the Asteraceae (sunflower) family, which is the 6th subclass old age remedy (Dr. Michael Yakir & Dr. Mahesh Gandhi). The lack of attention is perceived as an injury. Early childhood and old age are very similar as both these stages need a lot of being taken care of.
Reportorial totality:
Prescription:
Cina 1M – 2 powders for two consecutive days
Follow up in 15 days:
Patient was better by 70%. The mother said her snoring started to decrease within 3 days. She complained of slight constipation
Follow up in 3 months:
Patient is much better, and now she can can sleep without disturbance.
Constipation is better and her appetite is good. The child is now comfortable with other kids and can mix in a new environment. The mother mentioned seeing a significant improvement in the child’s behaviour.
The patient received Cina infrequently. She is under our care for the last year and continues to do well. In her last follow-up with the paediatrician, she was cleared of any problem surgery was no longer considered.
